


i know what you'll do (you'll love me at once)

by jaeson



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sleeping Beauty AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:28:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeson/pseuds/jaeson
Summary: Tears spilled from Seongwoo’s eyes again and Daniel panicked because – because even if he did not know what true love was, he would find it for Seongwoo, no matter how many years it took, he would not stop until Seongwoo was awake again. He would never stop searching until the day he died if true love was all it took for Seongwoo to be well.





	i know what you'll do (you'll love me at once)

**Author's Note:**

> this is a mess, please be aware! 
> 
> thanks to emma for switching dates with me yesterday bc i could for the love of good not finish writing this and thanks to the rest of the sos members for dealing with me on a daily basis!
> 
> emma and sya already posted their story's for S.O.S' fairytale week so please check them out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12859383) and [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12851232)! 
> 
> thank you!

**0 years old**

_Once upon a time_ **,** in a faraway land, there were a king and a queen, known for their beauty and warm hearts. They had everything anyone could desire – love, health and precarious amounts of money and gold – there was however, one thing they did not have. 

A child. 

For years the king and queen tried to conceive a child without success. 

Exactly seven years passed until the queen, after many hardships, finally gave birth to a beautiful son – the baby had the fairest of skins, the darkest ebony hair, eyes colored like the sweetest chocolate and the lips as red as blood. 

The first time the king and queen laid eyes on their son, they immediately fell in love. They vowed to protect their child, who they decided to name Seongwoo in honor to his late grandfather, at all costs and give them the best life possible. 

In his excitement, the king ordered to prepare a feast in honor to their wonderful son. 

Visitors from all over the kingdom came with gifts in their hands to celebrate the birth of the heir of the throne, including the three good fairies. 

Especially for the them did the king order to prepare their best cutlery and gold plates. 

The fairies bowed in thanks when the noticed the considerate gesture and proceeded to approach the prince to bless him – the first fairy gave the prince the gift of handsomeness, the second one gave him the gift of the song, he shall be the best singer and dancer in the kingdom. 

When it was the third fairy’s turn, a bad witched interrupted the festivities in a flash of green fire. 

The king and queen immediately recognized her as Maleficent, a witch that had been banned years ago from their kingdom because of her tendency to use her powers for evil and cruel things. 

The royals stood up from where they were sitting on their thrones, eyes narrowed. 

“I’m quite disappointed that you really forgot my invitation, your majesty,” the witch smiled, all teeth as she stalked over to where the prince was sleeping peacefully in his crib, the good fairies standing in front of the child to protect him. “What a beautiful son you have.” 

The king tried to approach his son’s bed too but was quickly pinned to the wall by the flick of the witch’s wrist. 

“You shall not worry, your majesty,” Maleficent grinned- 

She flicked her wrist again and made the fairies stumble forwards, away from the prince. Maleficent walked the last steps to the child’s bed and cooed upon seeing the baby. Maleficent caressed the prince’s soft skin and looked at him with adoration. 

“I’m only here to give the heir to the throne my blessings, you see,” Maleficent grinned with a mischievous smile. 

Everyone in the room eyed the witch as she kept looking at the child. 

“He’s such a beautiful child,” she whispered, as if talking to herself. “What a shame… He could have had a great future.” 

Before any of the king’s knights could do anything, the witch had the baby in her arms. The oblivious baby giggled, enjoying the witches embrace. She pretended to steal his nose, which caused the baby to laugh even harder. 

Then, when the witch felt like she had had enough, she put the baby back into his crib. 

“Listen well, all of you,” the witch said, stretching out her arms and knocking on the floor with her magic cane. “The prince shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know him, but before the sun sets on his 18 th birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!” 

Cries from everyone in the room can be heard when a cold wind swipes through the room and a black cloud surrounds the prince. 

Just as quickly as the cloud came, however, did it also disappear. Maleficent nowhere in sight. 

The king, after having finally being freed from the wall, rushes to his child. The queen on his side. The both of them hold onto each other, begging for someone to help them – for someone to lift the curse from their child. 

“Your majesty,” the third fairy approached them carefully. “I might not be able to lift the curse, but I do believe to be able to lessen its consequences.” 

“Go ahead,” the king nodded. 

The fairy stood beside the child, smile and started to cast her spell, “On the day of the prince’s 18th birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, he, however, will not die! He will fall into a deep slumber, only to be awakened by true love’s kiss!” 

After the third fairy had given their blessings, the king terminated the party and ordered for every spinning wheel in the kingdom to be burnt. Furthermore, he decided for the doors of the royal castle to be closed until the day after the prince’s 18th birthday so that the prince would not be in any danger. 

**5 years old**

Daniel was awoken by a loud noise in his kitchen. 

He looked around dazed and stumbled out of his parent’s bed, small fingers rubbing his eyes as he walked to the source of said noise. When he reached the kitchen, he saw his mother happily humming while packing their things in a cloth bundle. 

“Mom?” he asked. 

“You’re awake already, dear?” his mother replied with a smile, not stopping what she was doing. Daniel approached her and clambered onto her dress, tugging at it for her to lift him up. “You need to prepare yourself, son, we are leaving soon.” 

“L-Leaving?” he stutters, looking up at her with big, round eyes. 

“Yes, leaving,” she turns around and proceeds to go into their small bedroom, coming out with some of Daniel’s clothes. “We are going to live with your father, now. We are going to have a bigger house, live inside of a castle.” 

Daniel did not understand what his mother was saying so he just decided to sit down on the floor and wait, playing with his fingers as he looked at his mother go from room to room and come out with a lot of different things – her clothes, some of his most used toys (he could see his cat plushie peeking out from the pile in his mother’s arms), a few of their best cutlery and Daniel’s favorite pillow, the pink one he had to have if he wanted to sleep. 

It was not soon after that there was a knock on their door, his mother happily opening it to welcome his father in. 

He immediately ran into his father’s arms, giggling happily when he was lifted up and hugged tightly. Daniel squealed when he felt his father’s beard tickling his neck. 

“You are home!” he exclaimed happily. 

“No, son, this is not home anymore,” his father corrected him with a grin. “I have a carriage waiting for us outside, it will bring us to our _real_ home.” 

Daniel couldn’t help but frown at that – he also felt his heart racing in his chest and a weird feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. He did not know what exactly it was but he could tell it made him feel bad, uncomfortable. 

“Are you ready?” his father inquired, Daniel still in his arms. 

His mother nods with a smile as she takes Daniel away from his father and steps out of their house. Daniel felt his small hands start to tremble as he watched his father – and another unknown man – take hold of their things and put them in the carriage. 

“Get in here, son, come on,” his mother urged him on, making him wobbly step into the carriage. 

She also stepped in and sat down, Daniel immediately settling into her lap, holding tightly onto the well-worn fabric of her dress. His father clapped his shoulder as he also entered and ordered for the coachman to start. 

Daniel hid in his mother’s arm as he watched them go past endless ancient trees and beautifully colored flowers, entering a deep forest before coming out at the other end. He could see a grand wall guarded by what seemed to very well-dressed men. 

The carriage came to a stop and a young man – Daniel could see him holding a sword in one hand – peered into their vehicle. He seemed to recognize Daniel’s father so he easily let them in, muttering something about “what an honor it was to meet the king’s most trusted knight and his family”. 

That weird, bad feeling Daniel had had before went away as soon as they passed the big wall. He could see a beautiful, enormous white castle – Daniel couldn’t help but gape at its beauty. 

“Do you like it?” his mother asked with a gentle smile. 

Daniel nodded enthusiastically, sticking his face against the carriage’s window to try and see everything. He spotted some maids running around the yard and a few men, who appeared to be knights, practicing their sword fight. 

“Son, we are here,” his father told him, prying him away from the window and making him get out of the carriage. “You have to behave very well now, good? We are going to pay our respects to the king. Thank him for giving us the opportunity to all live in the castle together.” 

He nodded and held onto his father’s hand as they walked up the stairs to the entrance of the big castle. When they stepped into the entrance, Daniel saw all kinds of expensive-looking things, there were many paintings hanging on the wall, like when his mom used to put his drawings on the kitchen door, and also many tables with shiny and golden items. 

If he could, Daniel would have wanted to run around and touch everything, discover its use and see if he could play with them, but he did not have the opportunity to do so since his parents ushered him up more stairs and then into a big hall. 

The hall was bigger than the whole of his old house, he noticed. 

The ceiling was decorated with a painting of what seemed like a family and the windows were decorated with gold frames and blue, soft looking curtains. In the very back of the room, Daniel could see two thrones, they were made out of gold and sky-blue cushions, it was one of the most beautiful things Daniel had ever seen. 

“My friend, you have arrived,” he heard a man’s voice say. 

When Daniel turned around, he saw the man was wearing a crown and a very elegant red coat. There was also a woman standing beside him, holding onto the man’s right arm as she smiled at Daniel fondly. 

“Yes, your majesty,” his father replied before both of his parents bowed. Daniel hesitated for a moment before following suit. “We are very thankful for this opportunity.” 

“I see,” the man – king? – chuckled. 

“This must be your son, the one who will become Seongwoo’s knight,” the woman spoke up, coming closer to Daniel and squatting down in front of him. 

She had long black hair and a very nice smile, Daniel couldn’t help but grin back at her. 

“Yes, this is my son, Daniel,” his father responded. “And this is my wife. We will do our best to protect and serve you.” 

“I am very pleased to hear that,” the king said. 

The woman stretched out her hand and greeted Daniel. He bit his lips before uncertainly taking a hold of her hand too, his little hand seeming even smaller in her big one. She shook it once, saying a “nice to meet you, Daniel” to him before letting go and going back to the king’s side. 

Afterwards, his parents and the man and woman talked for a while. 

He tried to listen in to the conversation for a bit before he got bored. Instead of staying with his parents and waiting for their talk to be over, however, curiosity got the best of him and so he cautiously parted from them, leaving the big room and going back to the long hallway they had come from. 

Daniel discovered lots of new things, there. 

There were different knight armors displayed along the hallway. It was one of the coolest things he had ever seen – he wondered if his father had been able to wear one of those, if he had been one of the knights to fight in one of them. 

Just as he was about to touch an especially cool one – it was silver but also had black spots and the chest piece seemed to be made of gold – he spotted a kitten at the end of the hallway. 

“Oh!” he exclaimed happily, immediately rushing towards it. 

As it was hiding behind the corner, he stopped a few steps away from it and approached it with a smile. When he saw the kitten eye him curiously, he squatted down on the floor and reached his hand out. 

To his shock, however, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to pet it. 

Another small hand had reached out from the other side of the hallway, making him squeal in surprise. The kitten staring wide eyed at him before running off. 

“W-Who are you?” the voice was high and sound wary, it made Daniel curious. 

He stood up and did not answer, instead peering behind the corner to discover another child was there. The boy had black and, what seemed to be very soft, hair and big, round brown eyes. Daniel watched him closely and noticed, that the more steps he took towards him, the more the other boy would fold in on himself and retreat – his hands hiding trying, and failing, to hide his face from Daniel. 

“Hello,” he greeted and giggled when the boy’s lips parted and a surprised squeak came out of them. If Daniel did not know better, he would have said the other boy had never seen another child before. “I’m Daniel, what’s your name?” 

“I – I am Seongwoo,” he whispered almost inaudibly and Daniel nodded. 

“That’s a pretty name,” Daniel acknowledge and smiled. “Did you see where the cat ran off to, Seongwoo? I really want to pet it, you see, since it was really cute! Do you like kitties? I like them a lot!” 

“I do like cats,” Seongwoo said, finally letting his hands fall and looking at Daniel timidly, his cheeks a pretty shade of pink. “It prob-probably ran of to the dining room.” 

“Oh, really? Where is the dining room?” he asked, looking around the hallways. 

“You just have to go down that corridor and then enter the third door,” Seongwoo answered, looking down at the floor nervously and shuffling with his feet, Daniel thought it was really cute. 

“Okay, then! Come on!” Daniel laughed, already sprinting towards where the boy had said the dining room was. 

Once again, he was surprised when he realized that the boy, after a second of hesitating, had actually run after him. Seongwoo caught up to him soon enough and even pointed towards the door Daniel was supposed to open. 

When they entered the dining room, Daniel was astonished by the large table and the number of chairs. Seongwoo did not seem to be as fazed as him as he timidly began to look for the cat. Daniel joined him after getting over his initial shock – and urge to touch all the beautiful table decoration and expensive cutlery. 

“Here it is!” Daniel indicated under a table that was at the back of room. 

Both, Seongwoo and him, walked towards it mindfully, trying their best not to scare the kitten. Daniel now could see that, although its fur was mostly black, it had three small dots of white in it and it made him only want to touch it even more. 

“Be careful, she sometimes gets angry when unknown people touch her,” Seongwoo warned, looking up at Daniel from where he was sitting on the floor. 

“It’s a she? Is she yours?” he questioned while staring at the black cat. 

“She’s the cat of one of the maiden, I play with her sometimes,” Seongwoo answered. “But I’m not allowed to touch her, my father told me not to because she could scratch or bite me and that a scar would not look nice on my hand.” 

Daniel bent down while listening to Seongwoo and carefully started petting the kitten, who after a few seconds began to purr and lean into his touch, making him giggle. 

“I do not think she will bite you, want to pet her too?” 

Seongwoo looked at him with wide eyes, looking around before scooting closer towards him and the cat and reaching out his hand. He was just about to touch it when he stopped midway and retracted his fingers, putting his hand against his chest and shaking his head softly, his bangs hiding his eyes as he bit his lips again. 

“I do not know how to,” he confessed now staring up at Daniel. “I do not want to hurt her.” 

Daniel smiled, showing off his bunny teeth for the first time that day, and took Seongwoo’s smaller hand in his. 

“I’ll show you how to do it.” 

He placed Seongwoo’s hand on the cat’s head and then gently guided it down the cat’s back all the way to his tail. When he looked at Seongwoo again, he had the most fascinated facial expression, a bright grin lighting up his face. 

“It’s so soft,” Seongwoo laughed and Daniel couldn’t help but laugh alone, watching in joy how Seongwoo seemed to be really happy. 

“You look really pretty when you smile,” Daniel complimented him with a giggle. 

Seongwoo turned towards him and his hand stopped stroking the cat. Daniel looked at their hands and squeezed them playfully when he noticed Seongwoo had frozen in his spot. When he glanced at Seongwoo again, Seongwoo’s cheeks were a dark hue of red, matching his ears, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line as he adverted his gaze from Daniel’s. 

Daniel noticed Seongwoo’s ears were also burning up so he moved so that he was facing the other boy to get a better look at him. 

“Are you okay? You’re really red,” Daniel asked, his fingertips now touching the soft skin of Seongwoo’s cheek. “Do you feel sick? Do you need a bit of water?” 

Seongwoo shook his head and Daniel nodded. 

“Daniel, what are you doing?” his father hissed and Daniel was quite taken aback, stumbling and falling on his bottom when he heard the voice. “You cannot be touching the prince like that!” 

He blinked a few times and saw that his father and the king were standing right behind them now. 

“It’s fine, you shall not worry, I am sure your son did not intend to harm Seongwoo,” the king said with a small chuckle. “So, Seongwoo, you already got to know each other, yes?” 

“We did, father,” Seongwoo answered curtly, getting up from the ground and standing straight. 

Daniel found it fascinating to see that like this, Seongwoo seemed to be very different – there were no signs of shyness or fear in him, now he looked very proud and posh as if he knew exactly what he was doing, it made Daniel feel weird. 

He preferred the shy Seongwoo. 

“Do you like him, son?” the king asked, looking at his son with amusement. “Is he a pleasant companion?” 

“I really like him,” Seongwoo responded and Daniel felt himself smile brightly. 

“I am very glad and relieved to hear that,” the king nodded and grinned warmly. “He will be staying with you from now on, Seongwoo. Every day he will be with you and I hope that you will accept and cherish his company.” 

“Really?” Seongwoo sounded extremely excited as he looked at between Daniel and his father with hopeful eyes. “Will I really see him every day? Will I be able to play with him, too?” 

“Yes, son,” the king smiled. 

Seongwoo ran up to his father and embraced his legs in a hug, burying his face completely in them as the king softly patted his head and happily looked down at him. 

Daniel felt just as content knowing that he would be able to play with Seongwoo every single day. 

**7 years old**

When Daniel and Seongwoo turned seven they had to stop their usual routine of getting up, eating and then going around the castles doing whatever they felt like that day. 

Seongwoo started to go to classes in which he learnt about different cultures, some complicated things involving numbers Daniel did not even want to begin thinking about and biology – Seongwoo seemed to enjoy that the most, in the summer always taking Daniel out for walks in the garden and teaching him the names of every single flower. 

Daniel, on the other hand, began to train with his father and a few other knights. 

He learnt about horsemanship, archery and swordsmanship. Daniel spent most of his morning running around the castle to warm up before going to the training rooms of the castle and sparring with his much older training companions. Then, they would stop for a short break and head to the castle’s yard and practice archery. 

It was fun, Daniel always liked how he could run around or feel the breeze hit his skin as he aimed at the target with his bow in hand, but he could not help but miss Seongwoo, miss how they used to spend their mornings together while laughing and giggling. 

However, he was still thankful that he got to spend most of his afternoons with Seongwoo, roaming around the kitchen and stealing some pastries or hiding somewhere in the castle and telling each other their deepest secrets or petting the cat – which they decided to call “Dots” in honor of the white splotches on her fur. 

When Daniel finished his classes rather early on a particularly hot summer day, he was expecting the afternoon to go by as it usually did or maybe, Seongwoo would decide for them to go down to the garden again. 

He, though, was not expecting for Seongwoo to be already waiting for him in the yard with two sword-like sticks in his hands and a concentrated frown on his face. 

“What are you doing?” Daniel laughed as he approached him. 

“Well, well, hello to you too,” Seongwoo responds with a bright grin before going back to looking at the two branches. “Do these look like swords to you?” 

“Yeah,” Daniel nodded and Seongwoo handed him a stick with a proud smile. “Why do you need these?” 

“Because I want you to teach me how to fight,” Seongwoo responded shyly. “Please.” 

“Oh, are you sure?” Daniel furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m really good and I might hurt you without wanting to.” 

“I trust you,” Seongwoo reassured him. 

Daniel proceeded to teach Seongwoo the basics then – the feet should be at a 30 degrees angle and the hips cocked to the side (Daniel noticed for the first time how cute Seongwoo looks when he is confused, not understanding anything Daniel had told him, making Daniel have to guide his feet and hips to the right posture). 

Then he showed Seongwoo how to shift his weight to the balls of his feet and how to make a basic lunge at your opponent and how to defend himself if someone ever would want to hurt or attack him. 

They spend the afternoon like that – sometimes taking breaks to run around and chase each other when Daniel teased Seongwoo just a little bit too much – until they end up in a pile of sweaty limbs, both of their bangs plastered to their foreheads as they panted heavily. 

“Do you know…” Daniel gulped for air, turning to the side so he would be able to glance at Seongwoo, who was lying on the lawn beside him. “you make the ugliest faces when fighting?” 

Seongwoo blinked at him in surprise and started to pout, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I do not,” he retorted, frowning. 

“Oh yeah you do,” Daniel teased further, rolling around until he was lying sideways and was propping his head on his hand, staring at Seongwoo with a smug smirk. “Did you know that the usually very handsome prince Seongwoo looks so, so funny when he sticks his tongue and purses his lips while trying to smack me with a stick?” 

“I do not stick my tongue out like that,” Seongwoo whined, his pout becoming even more apparent as he avoided Daniel’s gaze. 

Daniel laughed as he watched Seongwoo turn away from him and scooted closer to him. 

“I will never forget you pulling faces and failing to hit me, I wish I could see that every day, you pulling ugly faces,” Daniel giggled, poking Seongwoo and trying to get his attention. 

“Stop, I do not do that,” Seongwoo huffed. 

“Oh yeah you do, you can ask all the guards and maids who passed by the yard today,” Daniel replied. “They will all tell you how ridiculous you looked like.” 

Seongwoo stayed silent for a while, letting Daniel poke him, before he spoke again with a quivering voice, “You’re mean.” 

Daniel stopped and looked stunned at Seongwoo’s back before scrambling to get up. When he was in front of Seongwoo, he could see how the prince was biting his lips while avoiding Daniel’s gaze. 

“Hey, I’m sorry I was just joking,” he sat down and put a hand on Seongwoo’s shoulders. 

The prince did not respond, only shrugging his shoulder and in the process removing Daniel’s hand from his body. Daniel sighed, lying down again and cupping Seongwoo’s cheek. He squished them, making Seongwoo protest, puff his chest in annoyance and glare at him. 

“I was really just joking,” Daniel repeated. “I’m really, really sorry! You’re the prettiest person in the whole kingdom!” 

“You really think so?” Seongwoo’s words were a bit difficult to understand because of the fact that Daniel was still squeezing his cheeks but he understood anyway and nodded. 

“I’m really, very sorry, I will not make fun of you again,” Daniel promised. “I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll do whatever you want me to!” 

Seongwoo’s face lit up instantly and Daniel let go of his face to be able to see Seongwoo bright grin, his crooked teeth peeking out and his eyes turning into little, cute crescents. 

“Anything I want?” Seongwoo asked, Daniel nodded. “Okay, you have to promise me something then!” 

The prince sat up, apparently having forgotten all about being upset, and Daniel followed suite, mimicking him so that the both of them were facing each other while sitting cross-legged. Seongwoo smiled and took Daniel’s right hand in his. 

“You have to promise me that when we get older you will marry me, okay? We will be just like my father and mother. We will rule this kingdom together and you will always be my best friend!” 

“Promised,” Daniel did not even have to hesitate before detangling his hand from Seongwoo’s and instead linking pinkies together, Seongwoo beaming at him. “We will be the first kings to rule together, side by side, and we will always stay together.” 

He kissed Seongwoo’s finger to seal the deal and Seongwoo did the same, giggling before barreling into Daniel’s arms, making Daniel squeal in surprise. 

“That’s revenge,” Seongwoo cackled. “Now see if you can catch me.” 

The prince stood up and ran as fast as his short legs could take him. Daniel grinned before chasing after him, the both of them laughing. 

**10 years old**

“Daniel?” 

He looked up from where he was cleaning his sword after practice, so that he could move on to his archery classes, and came face to face with his father and the king. His father was wearing his usual work gown with a sword safely tucked at the side while the king was wearing his leisure coat. 

“Your majesty,” Daniel bowed. “Father.” 

“Daniel, might I borrow you for the rest of the morning?” the king asked, smiling gently. “Your father and I have some important matters to discuss with you now that you have become 10 years old.” 

“Yes, your majesty,” he nodded, quickly putting his sword aside and getting up. 

The king turned around and began to walk out while his father waited for him, letting him catch up and petting his head lovingly. They walked across the yard and entered the castle, bypassing the festive hall, dining room and Seongwoo’s bedroom before they stepped into the king’s office. 

Daniel had never been allowed to enter it before and he was fascinated by all the things he saw in it – there were paintings of Seongwoo and the queen hanging on each wall, a vitrine full of foreign ceramic plates and cups, a small statue of the king himself was placed on a cupboard and on the large table in the middle of the room sat countless of papers with the king’s signature. 

“Sit down, please,” the king ordered, gesturing at the chairs in front of the table. Daniel hesitantly took a seat, side-eying his father, who had remained standing in front of the door, probably to guard it. “I know you must be very curios and most likely want to discover every single meter of this office but I need you to pay me full attention, Daniel. Seongwoo, under no circumstances, can hear about this, do you understand?” 

“I understand, your majesty,” Daniel easily answered, tearing his eyes away from a what seemed to be a map of their kingdom. 

“Good,” the king sighed, as if bearing himself for what’s about to come. “When the prince was a baby, an evil witch named Maleficent casted a curse on him, you see? She said he shall die when his 18 th birthday comes after pricking his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel.” 

Daniel frowned, not knowing how to react – Seongwoo, his best friend, his most valued person, cursed? His brain seemed to overdrive at the idea, different thoughts cluttering in his mind. 

“Thanks to a good fairy, however, we could lessen the consequences of the spell,” the king continued. “Seongwoo will not die but instead, he will fall into a deep slumber, only to be awakened by true love’s kiss.” 

_True love’s kiss?_ Daniel glanced at the king, not sure what the cure to Seongwoo’s curse was. 

“I ordered for all the spinning wheels to be burnt and for the castle’s doors to be closed until after Seongwoo’s 18 th birthday but the danger of the curse still coming true is very big, so I ordered for my most trusted knight’s son to come live with us after a few years, Seongwoo needed a friend anyway, and to train the knight’s son to become a knight himself,” the king told him and looked him in the eyes. “Daniel, for years we have trained you and we will still keep training you so that you become Seongwoo’s knight, so that you can protect him from all evil and most importantly, protect him for the curse.” 

“But – but how can I protect him, your majesty?” Daniel asked, lips wobbling as he tried his best not to cry – he couldn’t keep Seongwoo safe, he was little and thin and although he was skilled with swords and bows he was never as good as the older knights. 

“You still have time to learn, son,” the king smiled encouragingly. “You might be young now but I know that you will grow into a strong, powerful man that will protect this kingdom’s prince with his whole heart.” 

He did not know how he was supposed to act, what he was supposed to say – Daniel felt like a dark cloud was hovering over him, making him feel bad and fear start to seep in every single one of his bones, the thought of having so much responsibility on his shoulders scaring him. Daniel looked back at his father and tried to find comfort in his encouraging, warm smile but it did not work, it only made him feel more burdened, feel like he would not be able to live up to their expectations. 

“I trust you, Daniel,” the king spoke as if those words would make Daniel feel better. “All I ask of you is to stay by my son’s side and protect him with all your might. No matter what the outcome is, as long as you do your best, everything will be fine.” 

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his seat but still acquiesced with a small nod from his head. 

*** 

He was granted the rest of the day free from his classes, both the king and his father decided that it would be good for him to let the information he just got told to settle in his mind before going back to his training. 

Daniel spend almost the whole afternoon by himself, lying under the biggest oak tree in the castle’s yard and letting the sun warm him up, finding the heat comforting. 

When he was about to stand up to head to his room, he heard steps approaching him. He opened his eyes to be face to face with Seongwoo, the prince’s eyes sparkling as he was beaming down at Daniel with a prosperous grin. 

“I have been searching for you all day,” Seongwoo said, still standing above him. “My professor taught me about a new flower today, I want to show it to you!” 

“Maybe… maybe another day,” Daniel smiled tightly. 

Seongwoo frowned at him and immediately sat down next to him, his hand coming up to caress Daniel’s cheek as he stuck his tongue out in concentration, his fingers seemingly inspecting every inch of Daniel’s face until they settled on his forehead. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, blinking as he felt a weird warmth spread across his face. 

“I am seeing whether you are sick or not,” Seongwoo replied without much thought, still focused on the task at hand. “My maid always touches my forehead to see if I am burning up or not and I wanted to use the same method on you – you do not have a fever by the way.” 

“Why would I be sick?” Daniel chuckled. 

“You did not want to see the flowers with me,” Seongwoo explained quietly. “In all the time we have known each other you have never said no to that… so I thought you might have fallen ill. But you seem to be alright… Is there anything else that is bothering you?” 

Seongwoo was looking worriedly at him, his fingers still caressing his cheeks softly, and all Daniel wanted to do is fling himself into the prince’s arms and tell him about everything the king had told him. 

He knew, however, that that was not a possibility – not when the king had ordered for him to not tell Seongwoo anything. 

“Are you… not allowed to tell me?” 

Daniel’s eyes widened at Seongwoo’s words. 

How had he known? 

“It’s okay if you cannot tell me about it,” Seongwoo chuckled before biting his lips. He shyly looked at Daniel before removing his hand from Daniel’s cheek and instead taking a hold of Daniel’s own hand, intertwining their fingers as both of their faces flushed at the contact. “You should know, though, that whatever it is, I am sure it will be okay.” 

“Promise?” Daniel whispered. 

“Promise,” Seongwoo nodded, squeezing his hand. 

**13 years old**

Daniel grinned contently when his teacher clapped his back with a proud smile when he won over his opponent during the training once more – the other knight had been a boy around four years older than him, he had longer limbs and was supposed to also be more skilled than him but Daniel had easily defeated him after lunging at him with his practice sword for a third time. 

“You are doing very well,” the teacher patted his head. “One more round and you can finish for today.” 

He nodded and watched as another knight came to fight with him. 

They bowed to each other and the fight started. After almost five minutes, Daniel stepped back before lunging at the other and making him stumble backwards. The knight lost his footing and fell backwards. 

Daniel cheered victoriously. 

His teacher laughed and gestured for him to leave, Daniel nodded and put his sword down. He cleaned all of his equipment quickly and rushed to put on a coat and head for Seongwoo’s room – last night he had promised Seongwoo they would spend the day playing inside of the castle’s basement to try and see if the rumors about ghosts being down there was true. 

Although he was not really excited about the fact that he may encounter ghosts, he was excited to be with Seongwoo after Seongwoo had been away to visit another royal family during fall. 

When the prince had returned, they had hugged tightly and Seongwoo had told him all about the other kingdom, talking about another prince named Minhyun, who also had a friend like Daniel, who was called Jonghyun, and how they would play hours and hours in the lake near Minhyun’s castle. 

Daniel had felt weird about hearing how much of a good time Seongwoo had had when all he had done had been moping around asking for Seongwoo and training. 

Seongwoo, though, when he had noticed Daniel’s unusual behavior had been quick to reassure him and tell him that he had also missed him dearly and had hugged him until Daniel had stopped sulking – somehow, whenever he remembered that, Daniel couldn’t stop smiling. 

“Seongwoo?” he called out, opening the door to the prince’s room. 

He was greeted with nothing but silence. When he peeked his head through the door, he saw that Seongwoo’s room was empty, no sign of his friend being there. Although Daniel felt a bit iffy, he just decided to search for him elsewhere. 

As he was heading down the hallway towards the kitchen – Seongwoo always had had quite a hunger and would often sneak in there before dinner to eat something, he was stopped by a maid. 

“Dear boy, come with me,” she said, her voice sounded panicked so Daniel just nodded and followed her. “The king has called for you, he has been searching you for a few minutes now and is growing impatient.” 

“Do you have any idea as why he would call me right now?” Daniel inquired curiously. “Did something happen?” 

“The king did not mention anything to us, only that it was important to find you as quickly as possible.” 

They rushed to the king’s office. The maid knocked and then opened the door to reveal a very distressed looking king pacing around the room, his hands in his hair as mumbled something under his breathe. Daniel’s father was in the room as well, a map of the castle opened in front of him as he looked at it with a frown. 

“Your majesty, you called,” Daniel said in lieu of announcing his presence. 

“Oh, finally,” the king sighed in relief and approached Daniel. “I need you to find Seongwoo for me. He ran off in a flash and I do not know where he could be! Your father’s knights have been searching around the castle for hours now and have not been able to find him!” 

“Seongwoo?” he repeated in confusion. “Why would he ever run away?” 

“He got heard me talk about the curse with his mother,” the king admitted and an unsettling feeling spread across Daniel’s body, making goosebumps appear all over his arms. “I think he might have gotten scared – he even knows why you are here now, that you are not only here to be his friend.” 

“I – I will immediately search for him!” Daniel announced and rushed out of the room without saying another word. 

Daniel started running towards the basement, maybe Seongwoo had decided to act as if nothing was wrong and had wanted to meet up with him as scheduled. His hopes of finding him there are crushed quickly when he runs into some maidens who are obviously doing the laundry there. 

Then he rushed to the kitchen and asked around if anyone had seen the prince but none of the employees had a clue where he was not. 

Daniel did not even find him when he climbed up the stairs to the highest tower of the castle and entered a room he knew Seongwoo and his professor would use to experiment for their biology classes. 

He sighed and squatted down, closing his eyes to try and think straight for a few minutes as he leaned against the wall, thoughts cluttering in his mind. 

“Oh!” he exclaimed when he finally thought of a place Seongwoo could be in – a few years ago, maybe four or five, Seongwoo had told him about the abandoned tools barn at the back of the castle’s yard, he had happily dragged Daniel there and had swooned about how good of a hiding place it was for whenever the both of them decided to play hide and seek. 

Daniel hurried back down, biting his lips when he felt the cold winter air hit his face as he made his way through the yard. He hugged his coat closer to himself and ran as fast as he could across the garden’s castle. 

It only took him a minute or two to arrive and he carefully opened the barns door and flicked on the light. He looked around, taking in the various tables with a very generous number of tools on them, but he could not see Seongwoo – he was about to turn around and search somewhere else, when he heard quiet whimpers coming from the very back of the shed. Daniel cautiously took a few steps forward and tried to figure out where the sound came from. 

“Seongwoo? It’s me…” Daniel said, eyes wandering around the room. 

Another whimper – or sob? – came out from the back and Daniel stepped closer to its source. He let his eyes roam over the few things that were there. A pitch fork, a few hammers hanging on the wall, a table with other different tools, which were hidden under a cloth and – 

Daniel ran to the table and immediately knelt down in front of it, he took the fabric in his hands and pulled it up. 

Seongwoo stared at him with wide, surprised eyes, tears flowing down his face as he sobbed quietly. The prince tried to turn away from Daniel, probably in the hopes that Daniel would not see his red, puffy eyes and even more tears from spilling, but Daniel just cupped his cheeks and gently wiped the tears away. 

“Come here,” he whispered, tugging at Seongwoo, who instantly flung himself into Daniel’s arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing into Daniel’s shoulder now and holding onto him for dear life. “Do not cry. It’s okay, I’m here.” 

He caressed Seongwoo’s back gently, drawing circular motions against the fabric of his thin gown. Daniel also whispered sweet nothings into the prince’s ears and rocked the both of them back and forth, the motion seemingly calming Seongwoo down. 

It took a long while for Seongwoo’s crying to subdue. 

“Daniel, what – what if I really fall asleep? And n-never wake up?” Seongwoo stuttered still in Daniel’s embrace, his breath tickling Daniel’s neck and making a shiver run down his spine. 

“If you ever were to really fall asleep, you will wake up,” Daniel reassured him, trying to sound as confident as possible. “I will make sure to find the cure, okay? I will find your true love and bring them to you. I will make them kiss you awake and we will be able to rule the kingdom like we promised each other to.” 

“But… but how can you find something you cannot see?” Seongwoo inquired, separating himself from Daniel and looking at him directly in the eyes. “What even is true love?” 

“I – I do not know,” Daniel conceded, sighing. 

“See?” Seongwoo’s lips began to quiver again. “We do not even know what it is, how are you going to find it? I will – I will fall asleep and never wake up and I will not be able to play with you or see you anymore or talk with my parents and I really – I really do not want that.” 

Tears spilled from Seongwoo’s eyes again and Daniel panicked because – because even if he did not know what true love was, he would find it for Seongwoo, no matter how many years it took, he would not stop until Seongwoo was awake again. He would never stop searching until the day he died if true love was all it took for Seongwoo to be well. 

He looked at Seongwoo, tearing up himself, and cupped his cheeks in his hands again. Daniel desperately wanted to make Seongwoo feel better, for him to know that Daniel would never let him down or let him fall into a deep slumber for years. 

“Seongwoo, I…,” he licked his lips and tried to find any words to comfort the other. 

He could not think of anything so instead, when he recalled how his father used to stop his mother from crying whenever they fought, he leant in and left a short, soft kiss on Seongwoo’s lips. 

“I will not let you fall into a deep slumber, okay? I will be by your side every day and I will make sure nothing happens to you,” Daniel susurrated, wiping one last stray tear away and smiling gently at Seongwoo. “I will protect you and take care of you.” 

“P-Promise?” 

“Promise.” 

To seal the promise, Daniel left another gentle peck on Seongwoo’s lips and hugged him tighter to his chest. Seongwoo buried his small, cold nose into the crook of Daniel’s neck and wrapped his arms around Daniel’s waist. 

Daniel kissed the top of Seongwoo’s head and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of having the prince in his arms. 

**16 years old**

Over the next few years, Daniel noticed how their dynamic changed more and more as they grew up to be men, as they grew up to be a prince and his knight and they were no longer just two little boys having fun with each other. 

They had created a kind of unspoken routine between the two of them. Whenever they were in front of the king and queen or any other person, they would act like friends and laugh and smile but not too much, never too much. When they were alone, however, they would always be pressed one against the other, they would hug and if one of them needed comfort they would leave small pecks on the other’s lips. 

At first Daniel had deemed that as normal behavior between friends, after all, Seongwoo was his only friend, the only one around his age he had contact to, until his mother had sat down and told him about how she and his father had fallen in love – how he had snuck out of the palace to court her and how he’d always hold her hand and kiss her. 

He understood then, that whatever it was that he had going on with the prince, was not normal friendship, or at least not one other people would call normal. 

Daniel had skipped out on meeting up with Seongwoo that day, sent one of the other knights to guard over him instead, and had stayed in his room for hours on end, figuring out if what he felt was also what his mother had called “love”. 

After a few hours he knew the answer. 

It was. 

Seongwoo made him feel like no other person did. 

Just looking at Seongwoo – just seeing the constellation of moles under Seongwoo’s eye or seeing Seongwoo grin at him, even just being in Seongwoo’s presence made him feel happy, content with the world and if Seongwoo got particularly close, just like his mother had described it to be when his father was next to her, his heart would speed up in his chest and a comforting sense of home and warmth would settle in the pit of his stomach, making him feel giddy. 

He did not understand why or how or when he had exactly fallen in love with Seongwoo. All he knew is that he had and that he could not help himself from feeling curious if what Seongwoo felt for him could also be called love. 

*** 

“Hey,” Seongwoo smiled and greeted him by taking a hold of their hands and interlacing their fingers, Daniel could not prevent a smile from forming on his lips. 

“Hello,” he replied. “What’s our plan for today?” 

“I wanted to take a walk down to the new fountain father was letting some workers build but father called us both in,” Seongwoo’s sighed, his smile disappearing. Daniel just bumped their shoulders together and squeezed the prince’s hand in reassurance. “We need to meet him at his office.” 

They walk to the king’s office mostly in silence, Seongwoo springing apart from Daniel when he saw a maid in the distance. 

Daniel knocked on the door and did not wait for any response, instead opening it and letting Seongwoo, who grinned in thanks, enter first. The king greeted them with a loud laugh, welcoming the both in and gesturing for Seongwoo to sit down. 

He remained standing at the door, only eyeing their conversation from afar. 

“You called father,” Seongwoo stated. 

“Yes, I have very good news for you,” the king beamed. “I have been talking to our neighboring kingdom’s king and we have come to the conclusion that you and their son shall marry each other the day after your 18 th birthday.” 

“What?” Daniel could hear the fear and confusion in Seongwoo’s voice even from a mile away. 

He could not even react properly to the information yet, the only thing he noticed was his heart tightening painfully in his chest at the mere thought of Seongwoo marrying or being with someone else, being with someone that is not Daniel himself. 

“We arranged for their son to come visit soon, too, you might remember him from when you were younger, Prince Minhyun?” 

“I do remember father but… but this is such a sudden situation,” the prince blurted out. Daniel noticed Seongwoo was tapping his feet against the ground restlessly, his fingers were fidgeting too. “Why? Why should I marry him?” 

“True love’s kiss, son,” his father’s expression changed from happiness to absolute solemn one. “I have researched quite a bit over the years, you see. I asked some of my knights to question fairies and witches about curses like yours and their cure. Most princesses and princess found their true love within other royals, so I thought, it would work for you too. If you were to really fall victim to the curse, Prince Minhyun would already be waiting in the castle to kiss you awake.” 

“But is that – is that really true love?” Seongwoo questioned, his voice sounding timid. “Is it not possible… for me to find true love with someone that is not royal?” 

The king furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, staring at his son he said, “Are you talking about someone specific?” 

“N-No… I am just asking, father,” Seongwoo hurriedly denied. “Furthermore, I do not even know this Prince Minhyun you have talked about. What if we do not get along? We only meet each other as kids, after all. I do not think I can marry him, father, I do not want to – “ 

“Seongwoo!” his fathers stern voice interrupted Seongwoo’s monologue and rendered him speechless. “I did not ask for your opinion. You will marry Prince Minhyun.” 

“But, father, please listen to me – “ Seongwoo tried again but the king only slammed his hands against the table to make him stop. 

“Leave now, Minhyun will be coming with his servant in three days and will be staying in your chambers with you, so will his servant. We have already accommodated another bed in your room,” the king ordered. 

Daniel could see Seongwoo clench his hands into fists, as if he was not done with the conversation. He, however, still got up without protesting once more. 

Seongwoo left the room and Daniel quickly followed after him, trying to avoid thinking about how Seongwoo was going to marry another man, to marry someone he barely knew, someone that was most definitely _not_ Daniel. 

They ended up in Seongwoo’s bedroom with Seongwoo shutting the door forcefully behind them. Daniel did not say a word and instead sat down on Seongwoo’s bed and watched the prince pace inside of his bedroom – if it were any other situation, he would tease him about how much he resembles the king when he does that. 

“Daniel,” Seongwoo blurted out, making Daniel look up. “I cannot marry Prince Minhyun.” 

He nodded, signaling that he understood what Seongwoo meant, but did not respond in any other way, not knowing how to express his feelings. 

In reality, Daniel did not even know how he felt himself. 

On one hand, he was relieved that the king had seemingly found the cure to Seongwoo’s curse (after all, he had said that true love can only happen from royal to royal) but on the other hand, he felt bitter. 

Bitter that he now had to probably watch Seongwoo fall in love with someone else. 

Bitter that he would not be the one standing at the alter with Seongwoo when he gets married. 

And mostly bitter that he was not the one who would be able to spend a life time with Seongwoo. 

“I do not think you understand,” Seongwoo hissed. 

He was suddenly standing right in front of Daniel, his hands lifting Daniel’s chip up so that he was looking directly into the prince’s eyes. Daniel let his eyes catch every little detail of Seongwoo’s face – the way he had his lips pressed into a thin line, how his constellation of moles was still as beautiful as ever, how he was looking at Daniel as if he was begging Daniel to understand what he meant, as if he was begging Daniel for help. 

“I cannot marry someone I do not love,” Seongwoo continued, bending down so that he was face to face with Daniel. “I cannot marry someone that is not you.” 

Daniel’s eyes widened in shock. He felt his heart skip a beat before speeding up and his cheeks flushing, turning from their normal color into a more pinkish one. 

He tried to speak, to say anything but he could not, the only thing he managed to do was gape. So, after another a few unsuccessful tries, he just decided to answer to Seongwoo’s statement – confession? – with actions. 

Daniel leant in and pressed their lips together. 

They had done this before, they had pressed gentle kisses on each other’s lips to comfort each other, but they had never done it like this – they had never used it to express their affection to each other and Daniel had definitely never tugged on Seongwoo, making the prince settle down on his lap as they kept kissing, Seongwoo’s tongue slipping into Daniel’s mouth. 

He put both arms around Seongwoo and pulled him even more against his chest, pressing the both of them flush together. Daniel could taste the sweetness of the cherries Seongwoo had probably had a snack before still on his mouth as Seongwoo hands into his hair and curled his finger around Daniel’s hair. 

Daniel’s heart was beating rapidly in his chest, adrenaline shooting through his body at the sensation of having Seongwoo’s soft lips pressed against his – it was not their first kiss but it felt like, it felt like it was the first one that really mattered. 

Seongwoo separated himself from Daniel then and Daniel could not help but chaste after the sweetness of Seongwoo’s lips. The prince chuckled and pecked his lips lightly before pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes, a smile adorning his lips. Daniel could only stare at him – still speechless. 

“I love you,” he did not know why he said that. 

He blinked a few times, trying to clear his head, trying to stop his cheeks and ears from burning up. When Seongwoo looked at him, he diverted his eyes out of embarrassment, not wanting Seongwoo to see him look like a tomato. 

“I love you, too,” Seongwoo responded, Daniel could practically hear the smile in his voice. “We will find a way to solve this, right?” 

Daniel bit his lip and gathered his courage to meet Seongwoo’s gaze, “Yes, we will. We always do.” 

Seongwoo nodded and kissed him again. 

He let himself melt into the kiss, let himself pour all of his emotions into the kiss and enjoy it while it lasted. As he and Seongwoo fell back onto the bed, he could only thank God for letting him love someone as beautiful as Seongwoo. 

*** 

Prince Minhyun arrived, just like the king had announce, three days later with a carriage full of luggage and his servant, Jonghyun, with him. Both, Seongwoo and Daniel welcomed him with open arms in front of the king, politely asking about how his ride to their castle had been and whether he would like to go up to rest in Seongwoo’s room. Minhyun had accepted their offer with a thankful heart. 

The king had clapped Minhyun on the shoulder, welcoming him “home” before excusing himself since he had to attend a meeting with some townspeople. 

Seongwoo and Daniel lead Minhyun and Jonghyun to Seongwoo’s room with matching friendly smiles. They left the luggage by the door and showed Minhyun his bed, Minhyun was in the process of thanking them and sitting down on the bed, when Seongwoo interrupted him. 

“Prince Minhyun,” he called out, standing right in front of the prince. “I do not know what our parents have arranged but I am deeply sorry to say that I cannot be together with you – or marry you. I already have someone I love in my life.” 

Daniel had chuckled at Seongwoo’s impatience – their initial plan had been to let Minhyun settle in and win his favor before telling him the truth, but Daniel guessed that was not happening anymore. 

Seongwoo took Daniel’s hand in his and pulled him forward, showing off their intertwined hands. 

Daniel nervously watched Prince Minhyun’s expression turn from gobsmacked to a very pleased smile, his eyes crinkling and his nose scrunching up. Without a word, he stood up and went to stand next to Jonghyun, wrapping his arms tightly around Jonghyun’s waist. 

“Good because I have someone else I love, too,” Minhyun laughs. 

Seongwoo and Daniel both visibly sighed in relief at Minhyun’s words and smiled at each other, Daniel squeezing Seongwoo’s hand and bringing up to his lips to leave a small kiss there. 

*** 

For the rest of Minhyun and Jonghyun’s stay the four of them made up a plan. 

Seongwoo and Minhyun would pretend to try and get along in front of other people, Seongwoo telling his father that he had accepted their marriage and that he would treat Minhyun well. When they are alone, however, they would each be with their respective lovers or the four of them could hang out together. 

They also agreed that, if Seongwoo were to fall into the deep slumber Maleficent had cursed him with, Minhyun would kiss him awake like the king expected him to. 

It seemed like the perfect plan for all of them and so they spent all of their time getting to know each other and joking around. Seongwoo and Daniel showing Jonghyun and Minhyun the best places to sneak in some kisses. 

In return Minhyun and Jonghyun showed Daniel and Seongwoo to play some of their kingdom’s favorite games. 

Daniel had to admit that Prince Minhyun was not as bad as he had feared. 

**18 years old**

The days before Seongwoo’s birthday were hectic and full of tension, not only because they were preparing everything for Seongwoo and Minhyun’s royal wedding but also because everyone was worried about whether the curse the evil witch had casted on Seongwoo would still work. 

The king might have had burnt all the spinning wheels but Daniel knew that one could never take its guard down with things like that. 

As if Daniel was not nervous enough, Daniel and Seongwoo barely got to interact with one another. When Daniel was not in his classes he was, of course, watching over Seongwoo but always from a distance since the king would always drag Minhyun and Seongwoo to different wedding preparations like cake tastings and napkin choosing. 

Thankfully, however, Minhyun decided to do Seongwoo and him a favor after noticing how fidgety and tense Daniel had gotten without being able to have one-on-one time with Seongwoo. 

Just the night before Seongwoo’s birthday, Minhyun left the both of them. He had placed a neatly written piece of paper on Seongwoo’s night table and announce that he would be away for the whole night with Jonghyun visiting his kingdom one last time before the wedding. 

The moment they were alone, Seongwoo and Daniel both melted into each other’s arms, kissing, loving each other and sighing contently at the fact that they could finally be together. 

“I love you,” Seongwoo said, his index finger tracing over Daniel’s eyebrow then nose and finally mouth before Seongwoo pecked him again. 

“I love you too,” he replied and let Seongwoo snuggle closer to him. 

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but for an unknown reason, he could not fall asleep. Daniel guessed Seongwoo was feeling the same way by the way he kept tossing and turning in Daniel’s embrace. 

“I cannot sleep,” Seongwoo whispered. 

Daniel turned to look at him and sighed, admitting that he too was having troubles with that. 

“I am scared,” Seongwoo confessed, burying his head deeper into the crook of Daniel’s neck and wrapping his arm even tighter around Daniel’s waist. “I am so, so scared.” 

“I know,” Daniel swallowed harshly. A lump had formed in his throat and he knew, that if he said anything anymore he would probably break down in tears right then and there, so instead he just hugged Seongwoo tighter to himself. 

“What if Minhyun is not the one?” Seongwoo asked. “What if the curse settles in and Minhyun is not my true love? What will I do then? What if the good fairies counter spell did not work properly and I just… and I just d – “ 

“Do not say that,” Daniel interrupted him. “I will not let you die, okay? Never.” 

“Promise?” 

“Promised.” 

Daniel kissed Seongwoo’s temple and closed his eyes again. His head was full with different what ifs but he tried his best to ignore them, to make himself believe that what the king had said was right – if Seongwoo were to fall asleep, Minhyun would wake him. No questions asked. 

*** 

The next day Daniel had planned on cling onto Seongwoo like a leech but he did not even get to peacefully wake up with his lover. 

A maid had stormed into the room, shaking him awake and informing him that the king had an urgent mission for him. He had to carefully let go of Seongwoo and leave without waking the other up – he, however, had not forgotten to peck Seongwoo one last time before going. 

The king’s order had been for Daniel to ride to one of their neighboring kingdoms and pick up a present for Seongwoo from King Jisung. Daniel was glad that the ride there and back would not take more than four hours. 

He rode his horse as fast as he could and arrived at his destination speedily. He was greeted by one of King Jisung’s knights and invited in. Daniel had a pleasant chat with the king and thanked him for his present that was beautifully wrapped in a sky-blue fabric. 

Daniel took the present and hurriedly left, apologizing for not being able to stay longer. 

By the time he arrived at the castle again it was already well past lunch time. He walked inside, guessing nothing had happened yet by the way the maids were all smiles as they prepared dinner. Daniel knocked on the door of the king’s office and entered after hearing a gentle “come in!”. 

“I brought the present, your majesty,” he announced and put the gift on top of the table. The king nodded in acknowledgment and went back to his documents. “Do you know where Seongwoo is at the moment?” 

“He went up to his experimenting room, mentioned something about wanting to try something new out,” the king answered with a smile. 

Daniel thanked him for his information and left the room without another word. Somehow, he felt the need to run so he sprinted off to the staircase that lead to the top of the castle’s highest tower and skipped a few steps in order to reach the room sooner. 

When he arrived at the room, however, the door was open and there was no sign that Seongwoo had been there. 

An unsettling feeling clawed at Daniel’s heart as he called Seongwoo’s name out a few times but never received any kind of answer. He wondered where Seongwoo could be if not in there but his thoughts were interrupted by the noise of a door slamming shut from higher up the stairs. 

He climbed them up as fast as he could and came face to face with a door he had never seen before. 

“Seongwoo? Are you in here?” 

Once again, he got no response. Tentatively, he reached out for the doorknob and turned it, the door easily opening up. He had a hand on his sword already as he cautiously peered into the room. 

To his absolute fear, he could see his lover standing there with a fascinated but admittedly kind of dazed look in his eyes. Seongwoo was standing right in front of a spinning wheel, his index finger directly reaching out for its spindle. 

“Seongwoo!” he yelled out, running towards his boyfriend. 

His warning, however, came too late and before he knew it Seongwoo had pricked his finger, a drop of blood coming out of it. Daniel watched in utter terror as Seongwoo looked back at him, realizing what he had done. 

The prince stumbled towards him, tears in his eyes and a quiet “Daniel” leaving his mouth ere his legs completely gave out. Daniel stepped forward and caught him in his arms which made him lose his balance and the both of them to fall on the ground. He did not hesitate to sit up immediately after the fall though, holding Seongwoo’s face in his hands as tears started to form in his eyes. Seongwoo smiled at him, seemingly careless and all Daniel could do was sob. 

“Seongwoo! Seongwoo, please, please, wake up, Seongwoo, please,” he quietly begged, tears streaming down his face as he watched his lover’s eye flutter close and his breathing even out. “I am so sorry, please wake up, Seongwoo, please.” 

Daniel hugged Seongwoo closer to himself, rocking the both of them back and forth as he sobbed. 

*** 

“Son, you have to let go of his hand,” the king said, his own hand on Daniel’s shoulder as Daniel kneeled besides where Seongwoo was sleeping peacefully on his bed. 

Not long after Seongwoo had fallen victim to Maleficent’s curse did the three good fairies appear, matching expressions of sadness on their faces as they saw Daniel’s red, puffy eyes and Seongwoo’s limp body. 

They had coaxed him to get up from the floor and bring Seongwoo down to his room where he could sleep peacefully in the comfort of his own room – they had also offered to ask for the help of another knight if Seongwoo was too heavy for Daniel but he had shaken his head and protectively brought Seongwoo closer towards him, not wanting anyone else to hurt or touch him. 

Even though he had been exhausted, Daniel had brought the prince down himself, tightly holding onto him and his eyes never leaving Seongwoo’s relaxed features. 

“I cannot do that,” Daniel replied to the king’s surprise. “He would not want me to.” 

“Daniel, Prince Minhyun is on his way, Seongwoo will wake up soon,” the king tried to reassure him but Daniel could not see anything past the fact that he had failed to protect Seongwoo, that he had not been there when he should have been. “Just take this as Seongwoo taking a shuteye, will you?” 

He did not answer to that, did not feel the need to. Daniel squeezed Seongwoo’s hand again, hoping for Seongwoo to squeeze back and smile at him with his absurdly cute sleepy smile – but it did not happen. 

Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud thunder echoing just from outside the castle, startling everyone in the room. From his peripheral vision, he saw the fairies tense up. 

“Maleficent,” one whispered, holding onto her wand. “She is here.” 

His eyes widened at the piece of information – the witch had succeeded in making Seongwoo fall into the deep slumber, why would she suddenly appear in front of the castle? 

“What is she doing here?” the king seemed to echo his thoughts. 

“She is probably afraid,” another fairy said. “Afraid that you have found the cure of your son’s curse so soon on.” 

The same fairy floated towards the window and gasped in shock at the sight she saw. Daniel glanced at Seongwoo for a moment before dejectedly letting go of Seongwoo’s hand and also peering out the window. 

Maleficent was waiting right in front of the castle’s gate, blocking some knights and Minhyun to enter the palace but the witch was not in her human form – she had transformed into a green fire spitting dragon, making the knight. To top it off, she had made branches filled with thorns rise from the ground, making it difficult for the knights to step into the castle. 

Daniel cursed under his breathe as he observed Prince Minhyun, Jonghyun and the knights run right into the branches, their swords cutting through them. Their pace, however, was too slow, by the time they made it out of the thorn garden, the witch would have already killed everyone with the green fire. 

“At this rate they will not make it,” Daniel muttered, worrying on his lip and looking back at Seongwoo. “We need to help them out.” 

He braced himself, taking a hold of his sword. The fairies watched him for a second before looking at each other and seemingly agreeing on something. The fairy wearing blue whirled around with her wand and made a shield appear in Daniel’s left hand. 

“We will accompany you, brave knight,” the pink wearing one said. 

Daniel breathed out and shook his limbs, preparing himself for the upcoming fight. The king did not say a word as Daniel left the room, only watched him leave with a drop in his shoulders. 

The fairies and him hurried down and easily reached the outside of the castle. Daniel hopped on his horse, that was thankfully still waiting for him right at the door of the palace, and rode it until he was only meters away from Maleficent. 

“Do you have a plan?” the blue wearing fairy asked. 

“If just going for it is a plan, then yes,” he chuckled, making himself fight ready. 

Before any of the fairies could say anything else, Daniel had already galloped towards the dragon. He took advantage of the element of surprised and just as he rode by the dragon’s side, dragged his sword against the dragon’s side. 

The dragon let out a loud shriek, immediately turning around, meeting Daniel’s gaze and spitting fire at him. He protected himself with the shield the fairies had made for him and, to his surprise, it did not melt and made the fire bounce off. 

Daniel rode to the front and tried to take lunges from his saddle but he failed every time, only succeeding in making the dragon spit even more fire in his direction. When the fire landed on his shield the next time, it made Daniel lose his balance from the force of the impact and fall onto the ground, his horse running off without him. 

Maleficent used the momentum and kept spitting fire in his direction, so much so that the thorn branches ended up catching fire and started to burn up too, trapping Daniel between the dragon and the fire. 

He looked around helplessly and sighed – he had nowhere to go. 

All of a sudden, however, the fairies called out his name. The green wearing fairy had whirled her wand and made a wall rise from the ground. Daniel easily started to climb it up, still shielding himself from the fire with his targe. 

Soon the wall stopped getting higher and Daniel reached the top. Unlucky, though, so did the dragon, stepping onto the concrete whilst spitting fire. He tried to fight it of by lunging his swords towards the dragon’s snout but the creature was too quick, always dodging his attempts and making back step back until he was at the edge of the wall, threatening to fall off. 

Once again, Daniel was in the trap. 

The dragon aimed directly at Daniel’s shield this time, making Daniel lose his grip and the item fall down back to the ground. He was defenseless now, too. 

Great. 

“Sword of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!” one of the fairies said and Daniel’s sword lit up, blinding both him and the dragon. 

He blinked a few times and saw the fairies urging him to throw the sword towards the dragon so he did, he tighten his grasp on it and aimed directly at where he supposed the dragon’s heart was. The sword flew through the air and easily enough slice through the dragon, that cried out in pain. 

It tried to snap at Daniel one last time before it stumbled forward and fell of the wall’s top and onto the ground. 

Daniel’s leg gave out and he sat down, panting as his heart hammered wildly against his chest. 

“You did well, dear knight,” a fairy patted his head comfortingly. 

“Oh! The prince came through the branches, we should hurry up and see Prince Seongwoo wake up!” another one said. 

Indeed, when Daniel looked down, he could see the knights rushing on their horses in the direction of the castle. Minhyun was at the very back, holding tightly onto Jonghyun, who was riding the horse. 

Daniel stood up on wobbly feet, the adrenaline still not fully gone, and began to climb down back down the wall. 

*** 

“Do I… Do I just kiss him?” Minhyun asked, his eyes wandering around the room. 

The king nodded. He could see the tension in Minhyun’s shoulders as he carefully sat down besides Seongwoo on the bed – Daniel’s fingers were shaking, he was not sure if it was because of the fact that he was still shell-shocked from fighting a dragon or because he was still scared of what was yet to come. 

Just as Minhyun leaned down to press – what Daniel presumed to be a soft – kiss against Seongwoo’s lips, did Daniel turn away, not wanting to see it. 

When he heard Minhyun getting up again, he redirected all his attention to Seongwoo. 

All the eyes were on the sleeping prince – the queen was holding tightly onto the king’s arm; the fairies were looking at the prince with curiousness in her eyes and Daniel… Daniel was just praying for him to wake up, however, Seongwoo’s eyes did not flutter open like they had expected them to. 

“It did not… work?” Minhyun questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. 

One of the fairies stepped forward and put her small hand on top of Seongwoo’s forehead. She looked around the room before lowering her head and shaking it, confirming that the curse had not been broken. 

Daniel choked on a sob, trying to hold it back. 

“How is this possible?” the king said, his voice a mix of anger, frustration and sadness. 

“Prince Minhyun must not be his true love,” the fairy concluded. “We must keep searching, your majesty.” 

He stepped forward, letting the tears stream down his face for the second time that day, ignoring the fact that the king and queen were there to see him , and took one of Seongwoo’s hands in his, caressing Seongwoo’s soft skin with his thumb gently. Daniel knelt down next to the bed and started crying. 

The only thing that was grounding him as sobs wrecked his body was Seongwoo’s hand in this. 

If only Daniel had not gone to pick up that stupid present, if only he had stayed with Seongwoo like he wanted to, if only he _knew_ who Seongwoo’s true was. 

“I am so sorry, Seongwoo, so – so sorry,” he apologized, bringing Seongwoo’s hand closer to his mouth and placing a gentle kiss on it. “I am so sorry, I – I will bring every prince in this world to kiss you and wake you up, I promise. I am so sorry to have left – left you alone today. I love you and I’m sorry.” 

He kept crying at Seongwoo’s side, repeating his apologies and promises over and over again, until he felt a hand wiping away his tears. 

Normally, he would lean into the touch immediately, maybe giggle and tell Seongwoo off for being such a gentle lover, but now – now he could not even believe it, he blinked away the tears that were prickling his eyes and looked at Seongwoo. 

“You kept your promise,” Seongwoo laughed, eyes crinkling and crooked teeth peeking out, his finger stroking Daniel’s cheek lovingly. “You woke me up.” 

“I… I….” Daniel stuttered, not sure whether he was dreaming or not. “Did Minhyun’s kiss work then?” 

“No, son,” he felt a hand rest on his shoulder now. Daniel turned around and saw the king smiling down at him gratefully, tears threatening to spill from the royal’s eyes as a wet chuckle left his lips. “Your kiss woke him up.” 

Daniel gaped at Seongwoo, who sat up on the bed and giggled at his expression. 

“Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to give me a _real_ kiss?” Seongwoo asked, raising his eyebrows. Although Daniel could see that the – his – prince was obviously happy, he could also see the utter relief in his eyes and feel the way Seongwoo’s hand was shaking in his, probably from nervousness or excitement. “What are you waiting for?” 

His brain finally kicked in again – the fact that _he_ had been the one to wake up Seongwoo not really settling in just yet – and he threw himself into Seongwoo’s arms, tightly hugging him. Seongwoo reciprocated his embrace, wrapping his arms around Daniel’s shoulders and sighing contently against the skin of Daniel’s neck. 

“I love you so much,” Daniel whispered, only for the both of them to hear. 

Seongwoo leaned back to be able to look at Daniel properly, his hands coming up to cup Daniel’s cheek before he kissed him passionately. Daniel could not help but grin into the kiss. 

“I love you more,” Seongwoo smiled against Daniel’s lips and kissed him again. “I love you so much.” 

*** 

(“Does this mean we are getting married now?” Daniel asked when Seongwoo cuddled closer to him. 

“I think so,” Seongwoo nodded and left a kiss on Daniel’s neck. “Why?” 

“Because I want to marry you as fast as possible,” Daniel replied, giggling. “I want to see you wearing a super elegant gown as you walk towards the alter where I am standing and then, when the ceremony is almost over, I will get to kiss you in front of everyone!” 

“I cannot believe I have an excited puppy as my true love,” Seongwoo teased. 

“Oh, do not act like you hate it, my dear prince,” Daniel laughed and turned to the side so that was facing Seongwoo. He leaned in and started to pepper kisses all over Seongwoo’s face. “You love me so, so much.” 

“I do love you a lot,” Seongwoo conceded, stopping Daniel’s pecking with a kiss on Daniel’s lips. “And I will love you forever.” 

“Promise?” 

“Promised.”) 

**Author's Note:**

> i am so sorry you had to read through this mess, it's really late (4 am to be exact) and i'm ready to sleep until next year But thank you so much for reading it and i hope the mess was still kind of enjoyable? any kind of comments are appreciated! 
> 
> this is not beta'd nor did i read through it, so im sorry for any major errors or typos! 
> 
> also here is S.O.S. [twitter](https://twitter.com/ongnielsos) and our [cc](https://curiouscat.me/ongnielsos) acc, you can send us prompts on the cc if you want!
> 
> if you're interested you can come scream at me at:  
> \- [my twitter ](https://twitter.com/ultsongnieI)  
> \- [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/ongsniel)
> 
> thank you for reading this! ily!


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